Mastering Modern UI: Separating Designers from Assemblers

Mastering Modern UI: Separating Designers from AssemblersMastering Modern UI: Separating Designers from Assemblers

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Aldrin Caballero

pro

• 14h

The design landscape is splitting. Violently, not gradually. AI didn’t really replace designers in the end. It separated those who design from those who assemble and those who are just clueless. The space got a little narrower, but way more condensed.

Like a laser. And that beam is what will cut through the slop and uniformity and help projects stand out. This is the most important time to grasp it.

The competition is at an all time high.

Until AI figures that emotional part out this path stands. So far it has struggled to do so, while eventually replacing many adjacent fields. I’m pretty sure that will happen too eventually, but likely not very soon.

This is the set of skills to rise above the rest. That’s because there’s two main sides to UI design. Structural, and emotional. And a lot of in-between.

uixux design

Alex Aperios

pro

• Mar 9

With every branding project, I design and present 2–3 different options for my clients, sometimes even one is enough when the vision is crystal clear. The reason I show more? I like to push myself more creatively to explore beyond what's safe and normal. A client might think they know exactly what they want, but the moment I go beyond the safe choice, they're often surprised by how much they love the more creative direction. This was exactly the case working with BraveDuck+Robots, an experience design studio built around creativity, strategy and technology. The brief was clear, but pushing past the obvious unlocked something far more interesting. At the end of the day, we're here to serve our clients, but sometimes working with them means showing something they didn't know they needed.

branding brandingstudio Figma

Mya Nguyen

• Mar 9

I completely relate to this. There’s something really rewarding about pushing things beyond the brief.

A good designer can stay within the brief, but a strong creative director should be able to see what the brand could become and take the client along that journey.

I do the same...